In Entertainment

Top Stories

NEW YORK, N.Y. - A day after Trevor Noah was declared the new host of "The Daily Show," his graphic tweets targeting women and Jews are causing a social media backlash and Comedy Central is defending ...

In Opinion

Viewpoints

Viaduct closure will lead to more pollution from idling cars
Isn’t it interesting: It is OK to close the Georgia Viaduct, causing traffic congestion and increasing greenhouse gas emissions to film a movie...

In Health

Top Stories

Health Canada says stronger warnings about the risk of suicidal thoughts and behaviours are being added to prescribing information for all drugs used to manage attention deficit hyperactivity disorder...

Living on the edge in Zambia

Devil's Pool an adrenalin rush unlike any other

Victoria Falls: Gorgeous side view taken from Livingstone Island, Zambia, prior to swimming in Devil’s Pool.

Photograph by: Theresa Storm
, Freelance

Crazy or brave? That's what I wonder as I slide down slick wet rocks and slip into a refreshing eddy of the upper Zambezi River, mere metres from the lip of roaring, tumbling Victoria Falls.

Our guide beckons my husband and me through the gentle current toward his station on the edge, where a submerged rock wall barrier prevents him - and us - from being pushed by the almighty water over the world's largest waterfall, one of the seven natural wonders.

That would surely be certain death, but it would be swift. It's a 100-metre drop to the gorge below, in a torrent flowing at least 300 cubic metres per second. In rainy season, the falls stretch a remarkable 1,700 metres across the border of Zambia and Zimbabwe (well over twice the width of Niagara's Horseshoe Falls). But now, in November, it's the tail end of dry season and the falls course in a concentrated torrent primarily over the Zimbabwe side.

It's not prime time to see the fury of the falls, but it is the best time to supersede seeing for experiencing its majestic force, possible from Devil's Pool, adjacent to tiny Livingstone Island, famous as the place from which Dr. David Livingstone first saw Mosi-oa-Tunya (local name meaning The Smoke That Thunders) in 1855. Last year marked the bicentennial of the famous African explorer's Scottish birth, the first white man to discover the falls, which he named for Queen Victoria.

To walk in Livingstone's footsteps on the Zambian World Heritage Site in the middle of the river and take a dip in the relative safety of naturally-formed Devil's Pool (only possible during lower water), you must take a tour operated by Zambia's Tongabezi Lodge (open to non-guests).

Once on the island, reached by a quick boat transfer from the Royal Livingstone Hotel downstream through fast-moving channels dotted with giant hippos, guides hustle our small group across the hot, rocky isle, stopping en route at a spectacular falls lookout for photos.

After depositing belongings in baskets at the river's edge and cameras in a dry bag to be carried to the pool, guides help guests one-by-one over the rocks and into the river (best to wear water shoes), where there's a rope to hang on to if needed. A swim across the channel is followed by a handholding human chain to traverse underwater rocks, stepping exactly where the guide does. Then we scramble on top of a rocky mound, where, below, swirls the pool. A little to our right, a cloud of mist rises from the thundering main torrent as the river is sucked over the precipice.

Pool time is orchestrated, with guides watching and directing participants' every move, with rope barriers, just in case, outside the pool where the current picks up. It's as safe as you can likely make such an activity, but this would never be allowed in litigious North America.

When it's our turn, in we go eagerly. Less than one metre from the edge, we perch on the Devil's Armchair, immersed to our necks in swirling water heading for its downhill journey, and then push our bellies onto the flat rock shelf and wiggle toward the edge, a guide holding our feet to prevent an accidental slip.

Another guide stands fearlessly above, asking us to pose for photos in various silly positions. When we nervously peer over the lip, we're rewarded with an unbelievably close, top-down perspective of a cascading waterfall from its very origin to the churning basin far below, its immense thundering power reverberating in our chests.

It's an adrenalin rush unlike any other and truly a once-in-theworld opportunity.

IF YOU GO:

Tongabezi Lodge offers five daily trips to Livingstone Island (subject to water level), $75 to $130 US. If you don't want to swim in Devil's Pool (not recommended for weak swimmers), the view of the falls is well worth the trip.

We took the $130 lunch tour. A delicious lunch with full bar was served in a tented dining area (don't know how they pull off such great food in a remote location). Book Livingstone tours in advance reservations@tongabezi.com

For more on Dr. David Livingstone, visit the David Livingstone Museum in Zambia. Memorabilia includes letters, clothing, journals, books and travel artifacts.

We encourage all readers to share their views on our articles and blog posts. We are committed to maintaining a lively but civil forum for discussion, so we ask you to avoid personal attacks, and please keep your comments relevant and respectful. If you encounter a comment that is abusive, click the "X" in the upper right corner of the comment box to report spam or abuse. We are using Facebook commenting. Visit our FAQ page for more information.